A Tunisian protester holding up a sign which reads: Five years after the revolution!!! Tunisia??? Photo credit: Nawaat

The local media coverage of the recent job protests in Tunisia has come under criticism.

The protests demanding jobs and development for impoverished regions started on 17 January in Kasserine, central western part of the country, before spreading to several other provinces. On Monday, protests continued in several inland regions, including Kasserine and Sidi Bouzid, where the uprising that toppled the rule of dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali began in late 2010.

Though peaceful most of the times, there were acts of looting and vandalism, which prompted the government to impose a night curfew as of January 22. Despite the protesters distancing themselves from these acts, the media has been focusing on them alone, instead of providing enough coverage of the protesters’ demands, note critics.

Two days ago, Tunisian media stopped covering the demands of the protesters and started covering news about the number of people who break the curfew, and the vandalism and looting and this is exactly what many want.

It is mind boggling how masses fall into the trap.

Yes, there is looting and vandalism, but the social protests have no relation to to the gangs which are well know to the Ministry of Interior. The looting happened on the night Ben Ali escaped: We all saw the different samples of Tunisians: the honest and the revolutionary, and the cunning and the thief, who hurried after the security forces disappeared to loot the malls and shops. We even saw housewives doing that. We saw the worse of the Tunisians. The unemployed are seeking an honest living, not a screw driver to unhinge the door of a shop.

There are people who are unemployed and hungry in Tunisia, not only in the interior areas but also in the capital. To the editors-in-chief of newspapers: News about the deviant people should be in the court news pages. News about the unemployed and their protests should be on the front pages.

Tunisian media are completely ignoring the demands of the youth, and focusing on damages and vandalized premises. Well played.

In another tweet, he shared the following cartoon by Italian cartoonist and illustrator Marco Marilungo. The cartoon shows media crews covering a vandal while ignoring a large crowd of peaceful protesters.

During the 13 minutes dedicated to the protests in Kasserine, the legislative and executive powers expressed themselves, while the main actors, the unemployed graduates, remained muted. Enough to remember that public media, National TV 1 in this case, have not gotten rid of the after-effects of the domination of the political power over the newsrooms throughout decades of dictatorship. Or at least, they have not cut the umbilical cord that links them to the Kasbah Palace [the Prime Minister's office] and the gray building on Bourguiba avenue [Interior Ministry]

The criticism comes as President Beji Caid Essebsi accused Tunisian and foreign media of “inflaming the situation” by giving voice to those who “make matters worse”. Though he did not explicitly mention it, he was referring to the appearance of political opponent and former interim President Moncef Marzouki on the Paris based international news television France24. In that interview, Marzouki called for early legislative elections and the formation of a national unity government.

Rana Jawad adds:

#tunisia president televised address tonight:says media &some political parties ‘adding fuel to the fire’ called on ppl to respect situation

And some local media responded to Essebsi's call. The 24 January edition of the daily newspaper La Presse, had news about the ruling Nidaa Tounes party and a meeting of the governing coalition parties to support the government, and calls for the media to “preserve the country's stability”.

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2 comments

Sami Abid

Here there should be some criticism, either ☺
The critics you show are sometimes, if not most of them bizarre, just not to say other questionable word. Because here, there is à spécial pattern in this region. We can fond many cases of inducing in error, bizarre or meaningless posts, and empty shows of modernity thoughts and good doing promises. ( for instance, ecology phrases during 5 years since the change, have been materialized in providing most of funding dedicated to “environnent and green economics ” in the future development plan, this through funding..what?..the construction of more AND more sewer networks!!! ( the news of watania 1).
As for the bloggers quoted Here and bizarrery, I just point to two facts:
* tounsiahorra blogs in twitter mainly to show that she is having in mind à new text that she is conceiving with big spiritualité, etc….her editing is standard, as if following à manual used by many other bloggers very mediatised
* ..AND this standardisation is visible Here. Just compare the word AND ideas between her AND the other blogger.